Method of and means for the production of glass sign characters.



R. R.- WILEY.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GLASS SIGN CHARACTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 19H- Pmwn A Dec. 4, 191?.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- WITNESSES ATTO RN IEY JEtOY RODNEY WILEY, 01F BUFFALO,NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR THE PRODUCTION 015 GLASS SIGIW'CIHI a ti, C'JD,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ROY R. -WILEY,a lcitizen of the United States,residing at Buf- 'falo, in the county of Erie and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Method of and Means for the Production ofGlass Sign Characters, of which the following is a specification.

This-invention, has reference to a method of, and means for theproduction of glass sign characters, and its object is to provide signcharacters in hollow relief from sheets of glass without injury to theouter surfaceof the character strokes.

In accordance with the present invention a heated and softened glasssheet is subjected to mechanical pressure applied to what may beconsidered as the rear surface of the lass sheet to force the sheet intomolds o the characters, with the portions of the charac- 'terscorresponding tothe character strokes efi'ectively bottomless so far asthe character strokes themselves are concerned. This is accomplished-byproviding a female die with the portions corresponding to the characterstrokes so deep that they are efiectively bottomless, or they may beactually bottomless, although deep recesses constituting thestroke;forming portions are usually to be preferred. The male member ofthe device is so arranged that it may act with the female member of thedevice to form a glass sheet softened by heat with the character strokesin hollow relief.

it is to be understood that the term sign character is intended to coveralphabetical ing part of this specification, with the furtherunderstanding that while the drawings show a practical form of theinven-' tion the latter is not confined to any strict conformity withthe showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long assuch changes and modifications conle within the scope of the appendedclaims. I

Tn the drawings re 1 is a view partly in side elevation Specification ofLetters Eatent.

Patented Dec. a, ra a Application filed June 22, 19175 1 Serial No.176,373.

and partly in vertical section of a structure for formin reliefglassarticles in accordance with t e present invention.

Flg. 2 is a cross-section of thestructure of F g. 1 in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the showing of 1, "but illustratmg thesupporting table in most part in front elevation.

Flg. 3 is a plan view of the structure of Figs. 1 and 2 with theretracting springs in cross-section. I

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the base member of the female die.

0 Fig. 5 is a plan view of a mg part of the female die.

'Flg. 6 1s a plan view ofparts associated with the structure of Fig' 5to complete the female die of the particular sign character illustratedin Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring to thedrawings there is shown a frame 1 constltuting asupport, this frame plate constituthaving a topwhich may be formed ofangle strips 2 designed to receive and uphold. a

block 3 constituting the basic portion of the female die. The block 3 isformed with depressions 4 corresponding to the strokes of .asigncharacter or other article. From opposite sides of the block 3 nearthe margins thereof rise posts or pins 5 which may have screw-threadedextremities 6 enterin the block 3. Applied to the block 3 is a p ate 7having a passage or passages therethrough corresponding to the outlinesof the depressions 4 in the block 3, the passage or passages beingindicated at 8.

Certain sign characters, and especially letters of the alphabet ornumbers, have the strokes so arranged that they may be entirely cutthrough a plate without omitting any part of the character. Forinstance, the

letter S or the letter E or similar letters with no completely closedloops may have the character strokes complete without the necessity ofwholly removing any parts of the plate except those defining1 "characterhas been chosen in order to show how the interior parts are sup orted.

The groove 4 formed in the asic member 3 of the female die defines thecomplete character. In the case of the plate 7, however, those parts ofthe character entirely inclosed .1 the loops must be entirely cut block3. To complete the character, therefore, in the part surrounded by theplate 7, fillers 10 are provided, and these fillers are attached to theelevations or bosses 9 by screws 11 or in any other suitable manner. Thefillers 10 are of sufficient thickness to bring them level with the topsurface of an applied plate 7, which latter is provided with holes 12for the passage of the pins serving as guide pins and accuratelypositiioning the plate on the basic portion of the The margins of theopening 8 through the plate 7 are beveled, so that the opening flarestoward what constitutes the upper face of the plate in the installedposition. This flare is indicated in the drawings at 13.

The fillers have beveled edges 1 1 corresponding to the edges 13, sothat the strokes.

of the character as outlined in the plate 7 slightly taper toward thedepressions 4 to WhlCh they conform. These character strokes are,therefore, of less area where overlyin the depressions 4 than in theface of the p ate 7 remote therefrom.

There 'is also provided a male die in the form of aplate 15 with reliefcharacter strokes 16 conformin to the character strokes of the femaledie, but of sufficiently smaller area to permit the interposition of aglass plate 17 between the Walls of the plate 7, defining the characterstrokes and the rib or relief portion 16 defining the character strokeof the male die. The male die is formed with passages 18-adapted toreceive thepins 5, thus accurately guiding the strokes of the male dieinto the female die. In order to normally maintain the male die in anelevated position, springs 1-9 are provided having supports 20 fromwhich they may hang and engaging eyes 21 or other means on the male die.There is also provided on the male die a plate 22 engaged y a boss 23 ofa lever 24 provided at one end with a handhold 25 and at the other endentering between cars 26 rising from an appropriate part of the basicdie block 3, the lever being connected to the ears 26 by a pivot pin 27or in any other appropriate manner.

Beneath the angle iron supports 2 is a T series of pipes 28 providedwith openings 29 from which fuel may issue and burn closely beneath theblock 3 and in distributed relation thereto. A supply pipe 29 may beprovided to conduct the fuel, preferably as, to the pipes 28, and; thispipe 29 includ es a controlling valve 30.

Ordinarily the die 15 is raised by the springs 19 and suspended at asuitable height. The glass sheet 17 previously heated to a condition ofsoftness, but not sufficient to spontaneously flow, is laid upon the dieplate 7, and then by means of the lever 24 the die 15 is depressed,being guided by the pins 5 until the rib 16 engages the softened glasssheet 17 and forces it into the passages 8 in the receiving member ofthe female die and outlining the character strokes. The result is thatthe softened lass is forced into hollow relief in conormity with thecharacter strokes, but since there is no bottoming contact in the femaledie, the outer or what ultimately constitutes the visible surfaces ofthe character strokes, are not in any manner marred, as may occur whenthe glass is forced into actual contact with those portions of thefemale die constituting the bottoms of the depressions in which therelief character strokes are formed. The beveled edges of the plate 7hold the lass away from side engagement with the Eemale die to a greatextent, while the deeper portions of the hollow strokes are simplysuspended in spaced relation to the bottom of the depressions 4, so

that to all intents and purposes the female die is bottomless and harmto the glass surface by contact with anything while the glass surface issoftened by heat is prevented.

The strokes of the character are formed by one movement of the lever 24,and as soon as the glass is pressed into shape the lever 24 may bereleased, whereupon the s rings 19 raise the male die out of contactwith the glass. y

The whole structure is light and readily operated permitting theformation of the letters with great rapidity.

Since the characters are produced in hot, soft glass, it is advisableand practically necessary to maintain the female die at a sufficientlyhigh temperature to prevent chilling of or damage to the glass sheet,and

' able degree which softening is less than that causing spontaneous flowof glass and then applying pressure to one face of the sheetslmultaneously over substantially the whole area in which the characterstrokes are to be formed, with the opposite face of the sheetunsupported either during or after the completion of the production ofthe hollow relief strokes.

magma it w 2. The method of producing sign characters in hollow reliefon glass sheets, consisting in heating the sheet to a workable conditionof softness less than that causing spontaneous flow of the glass,supporting the sheet upon a female die with effectively bottomlessportions corresponding to the character strokes to be formed, and thenapplying pressure to the softened glass sheet over substantially thewhole of the unsupported area simultaneousl to force the glass sheetinto hollow re ief character strokes in suspension.

3. Means for the production of hollow relief character strokes in glasssheets, comprising a mold having depressed ortions corresponding'to thecharacter stro es and of a depth to make them effectively bottomlesswith respect to the glass sheets, and a die associated with the mold andhaving relief portions corresponding to the character strokes andpositioned to enter the depressed portions of the mold to a depthsufficiently less than the depth of the depressions therein toaccommodate the thickness of the glass and avoid the bottoming of theformed character strokes in the depressions in the firstnamcd die.

4. A die structure for the formation of character strokes in hollowrelief in glass plates, comprising a female die composed of a basicmember and a plate applied thereto, with said plate having a cut throughportion of an area as great as the marginal outline of the character,and the basic member having a depressed part larger than the cutout partof th plate where the plate and basic portion come together, and a maledie matching the female die.

5. An apparatus for the formation of sign characters in hollow relief onglass plates, comprising a suitable support with heating meansassociated therewith, a female die upheld by the support and comprisinga basic member with depressions therein, and a facing member with acut-out area corresponding to the area defined by the character strokeand applied to the basic memher, and a male die matching the female die.

6. An apparatus for the formation of sign characters in hollow relief onglass plates, comprising a suitable support with heating meansassociated therewith, a female die upheld by the upport and comprising abasic member with depressions therein, and a facing member with acut-out area corresponding to the area defined by the character strokesand applied to the basic member, and a male die matching the female die,the male die having means for elastically suspending it above the femaledie with means for manipulating the male die, and means for guiding itinto accurate conformity with the female die.

7. A die structure for the formation of character strokes in relief inglass plates, comprising a female die composed of a basic member withcharacter stroke depressions therein and a facing member in the form ofa plate with passages therethrough having beveled edges and conformingto the basic plate where provided with depressions with the taperingportion of the beveled edges toward the basic plate, and a male diematching the surfacing plate of the female die, whereby the ortion of aheated and softened glass p ate overlying the cut-out beveled portionsof the surfacing plate maybe pressed by the male die into hollow reliefin suspension in the female die without bottoming therein.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROY RODNEY WILEY.

Witnesses:

AUGUSTUS 1R. WHITE, GEORGE E. REYNOLDS.

